Maui High knows ocean best

For the fourth straight year, a team of students from Maui High School has won the Hawaii Ocean Science Bowl, which tests student knowledge in the ocean sciences.

The Maui High team will go on to represent the Hawaii region in the National Ocean Science Bowl in Pacific Grove, Calif., May 13-15.

The members of the winning team were Caine Jette, Aaron King, Nathaniel Salazar, Alex Collias, Vanessa Viloria and Coach Edwin Ginoza.

Kalani High School came in second, and the Guam team took third in the regional competition held Feb. 25.

Police, Fire, Courts

Star-Bulletin staff

LEEWARD OAHU

4 hurt when car hits Maili utility pole

A 7-month-old infant was thrown from a car and three other people suffered critical injuries in a single-car crash in Maili yesterday morning.

Police said a 29-year-old woman was speeding on Farrington Highway when she lost control of her car and hit a utility pole, critically injuring herself and three passengers, including the baby, who was not in a child safety seat.

The passengers were later upgraded to serious condition.

The crash happened about 2:07 a.m. at the intersection with Milikami Street when a 1994 Honda Accord headed eastbound on Farrington Highway lost control. Police said the car sheered the utility pole in half.

At impact, the 7-month-old was thrown from the car onto a grassy shoulder. Firefighters had to extricate a 20-year-old woman sitting behind the driver.

A 22-year-old man who was in the right back seat was able to get out of the car on his own.

The driver and the passengers were all taken to the Waianae Comprehensive Center, and then airlifted to the Queen's Medical Center. The driver remained in critical condition yesterday.

Police said no one in the car was wearing a seat belt. In addition to speed, alcohol was a likely factor in the crash, police said. It's unknown if drugs were involved.

NORTH SHORE

Officer hurt in crash during DUI pursuit

A police officer was injured yesterday after losing control of his car while trying to chase a suspected drunken driver in Kahuku.

The crash happened about 2 a.m. on Kamehameha Highway. Police said the officer saw a car driving erratically. When he tried to pull the car over, it sped off northbound.

The officer tried to follow the car, but lost control on a wet roadway and hit a supporting beam on the bridge that crosses Malaekahana Stream, police said.

He was taken to the Queen's Medical Center with multiple injuries, but his condition was not released.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Big Island prisoner escapes from Hilo ER

Big Island police are looking for a prisoner who escaped from the emergency room of the Hilo Medical Center on Friday.

Police said Hawaii Community Correctional Center staff took Arthur Dale Clayton, 44, to the hospital for treatment but he ran away at about 6:15 p.m. He was last seen heading east on Waianuenue Avenue.

Clayton is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds, with brown eyes, a shaved head and tattoos on his right shoulder, right lower arm, back and abdomen. He was wearing blue jeans, a gray hooded pull over sweater and brown boots.

Police said Clayton is not considered dangerous.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call police or Big Island Crimestoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.

HONOLULU

5 men sought in brutal assault in Kakaako

A 26-year-old man was seriously injured early yesterday after a stabbing on Pohukaina Street in Kakaako.

Police are looking for five men in connection with the incident, which happened about 3:50 a.m. after the victim stopped to talk to a woman and one of the suspects on the street, police said.

The couple left, but minutes later the suspect returned along with four other men and they all started beating the man, who also was stabbed, police said.

The victim was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in serious but stable condition.

EAST OAHU

Man held after alleged threats with handgun

Police arrested a 41-year-old man who allegedly threatened employees and customers in a sports bar with a handgun earlier this month.

Police said that on Feb. 5, the man walked into the Shack in Hawaii Kai and began harassing people and was told to leave. He allegedly returned two hours later with a handgun and began walking toward employees while verbally threatening them.

Police found the man in Waikiki on Thursday and arrested him for investigation of first-degree terroristic threatening and several contempt warrants.

ATM video shows theft of mishandled money

Police are looking for a man who picked up someone else's rent money in front of American Savings Bank in Kapahulu last month.

The suspect was caught by automated teller machine surveillance video picking up a bag that had been accidentally left behind by a woman at about 3 p.m. on Feb. 4. The video shows the suspect searching through the bag, which contained the woman's rent money.

The suspect is described as between 20 and 30 years old, about 5 foot 8 inches tall, weighing about 175 pounds, and was last seen wearing a baseball cap, T-shirt with AC/DC on the front, surf shorts and slippers.

Anyone with information about this person is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300, or by dialing *CRIME on a cellular phone.